

Periorbital edema, eczematous rash and blisters around the mouth, alongside contact dermatitis, have also been described following exposure to mango (8).Īllergic conjunctivitis (AC) was the topic of a study which showed preschool children with this condition were significantly more likely to present with mango (and other foods)-specific serum IgE than younger age groups (9). He reported a remote history of contact dermatitis to poison ivy (4). Other diseasesĬontact dermatitis (type IV delayed hypersensitivity response) to mango peel was the cause of the diffuse, macular, blanching, erythematous and pruritic rash presented by a 41-year old patient two days after handling mangos. In another study, asthma/allergic rhinitis (AR) patients showed hypersensitivity to mango allergens, as shown by IgE specificities (13). Allergic rhinitisĪlthough most patients experience mango allergy after ingestion of the fruit, mango tree pollen was shown to be a sensitizing agent in 16% of patients with allergic rhinitis (12). It was suspected that the symptoms may be due to cross-reactivity with mugwort antigens (11). Testing of specific IgE in a 30-year old woman with history of seasonal rhinitis showed that this patient is multi-sensitized to a number of plant allergens however, the only severe anaphylactic reaction experienced until then was following mango ingestion. Approximately 10% of patients experienced severe reactions, 15% had mild reactions and the remaining presented with moderately severe reactions (6). In a study of 250 patients referred to hospital with fruit-induced anaphylaxis, 9.2% of cases were caused by mango. Anaphylactic shock may present within few minutes of mango ingestion (8). Patients may present with a combination of the following: erythema and urticaria, angioedema of the face or extremities, rhinorrhea and rhino-conjunctivitis, dyspnea/respiratory distress, cough, gastrointestinal symptoms. This can be localized or show systemic symptoms, including anaphylaxis. Immediate hypersensitivity is a common clinical presentation of mango allergy. Taxonomic ree of mango Mangifera indica (1) The fruit is commonly consumed raw or preserved in the form of juice, canned slices and chutneys (3). The mango plant and fruit are versatile from stem bark extracts and mangiferin as medicinal compounds (2), to food. The tree produces large inflorescences (up to 30 cm long), branched and heavily flowered (300–6000 flowers) the flowers colors vary depending on cultivar (1). The mango tree is a large evergreen plant, reaching upwards of 40 m the leaves have variable morphology, usually elliptic to lanceolate, leathery with visible nerves. The flesh varies in color and flavor a tough, fibrous seed is present within.
MANGO CROSS REACTIVITY SKIN
The fruit is edible, variable in shape and size (up to and over 30 cm long) the skin is thick and can be variably colored, with green, red and yellow areas. Due to the many cultivars, phenotype of both tree and fruit varies greatly. Mango ( Mangifera indica) is the fruit of the mango tree, which can be found worldwide.
